Why this a Plantars Wart?

Patient

Q:When I was thirteen, I small lesion appeared on the sole of my foot. All I know is that it appeared to have little white 'hairs' sprouting up, with a few dark ones. I picked all of these hairs out over the course of a week, peeled the skin away, and the lesion disappeared. It's been eight years and I haven't had a reoccurrence. I was just curious as to whether or not this was a Plantars wart?

A:
Thank you for your question. The lesion you have described is not consistent with that of a plantar wart. A plantar wart is caused by the human papillomavirus. When this virus infects the skin, especially on the sole of the foot, it can result in a hard wart which can elicit pain when pressure is applied to it. It usually needs to be surgically excised to successfully prevent it from growing back. The lesion you have described, did not regrow after you removed it, and it also had hairs growing out of it. This leads us to believe that this may in fact be another lesion of some sort which was successfully removed on your behalf.

(*)
These Q&A’s are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.